Georgy Alburov

Russian journalist (born 1989)
Георгий Албуров
Alburov in 2014
Born
Georgy Valentinovich Alburov

(1989-10-09) October 9, 1989 (age 34)
Ufa, Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
CitizenshipRussiaEducationHigher School of Economics (political science)Occupation(s)Journalist, coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, YouTuberAwardsRedkollegia (2021)Websitealburov.ru

Georgy Alburov (Russian: Гео́ргий Валенти́нович Албу́ров, born October 9, 1989[1]) is a Russian political and social activist, journalist, and blogger. Up to 2021, together with Maria Pevchikh, he was a head of the investigation department at the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by Alexey Navalny in 2011.[2] At the time when Alburov headed the department, the FBK released the investigative films "Chaika" (2015) and "He Is Not Dimon to You" (2017).[3][4]

Biography

Georgy Alburov was born on October 9, 1989, in Ufa. In 2007, he moved to Moscow to study political science at the Higher School of Economics.[5] He began participating in various political actions and protests in 2008. In 2009, he was present at the civic protests known as Strategy-31, advocating for people's right to peaceful assembly in Russia.[6]

In 2011, Alburov met Alexei Navalny for the first time at the «Anti-Seliger» alternative political forum, they became more familiar later that year, when Navalny was sued for defamation by entrepreneur Vladlen Stepanov. Alburov was live-tweeting the whole event, thus making his first public appearance as a political blogger.[7] Later he signed the declaration of Navalny's supporters and became a member of the "People's President" political movement.[6]

In January 2012, Alburov joined Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (commonly known as FBK). During his first year at FBK, he coordinated the "RosVybory" project aimed at observing the 2012 Russian presidential election. He also worked on "The Good Truth Machine [ru]" – a service that provided information about state official's corruption – and "RosPil [ru]" – Navalny's project, publicizing abuses in government procurement.[7][8]

Moreover, in October 2012, Alburov became a member of the Russian Opposition Coordination Council. The Council did not recognize the results of the Duma and presidential elections of 2011–2012 and called for their revision.[9] Later in December that year, he also joined the founding committee of the "People's Alliance" party, which sought to oppose the elected president, Vladimir Putin, and the ruling party, United Russia.[10]

On April 14, 2015, the Vladimir Oktyabrsky Court sentenced Alburov another FBK employee, Nikita Kulachenkov to penal labor for stealing the street art painting "Bad/Good Person," which they took off a fence and gave to Navalny for his birthday on June 4, 2014.[11] The painting, contrasting two Russian figures (one negative, associated with "the Internet," and the other positive, portraying "love of the Motherland"),[12] was made by a janitor Sergei Sotov, who regularly placed his works on city fences. Although the painter claimed that he did not mind that people might take his paintings away, Alburov was sentenced to 240 hours of compulsory labor.[13] A few months later, the sentence was removed due to an amnesty.[14]

On August 3, 2019, Alburov was arrested as an initiator of protests in Moscow, caused by the situation with the Moscow City Duma elections.[15] As a result of the mass demonstrations, Moscow Metro and Mosgortrans filed a lawsuit against Alburov and Lyubov Sobol. In February 2020, the Simonovsky District Court of Moscow satisfied the suit and fined 311 000 rubles from the defendants as compensation for the disturbed work of transport employees on August 3.[16][17]

In August 2020, Alburov participated in the FBK investigation of the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. Together with Maria Pevchikh and Vladlen Los, he examined Navalny's hotel room in Tomsk for evidence on the day of poisoning.[18][19][20]

In 2020, Alburov was actively involved in the production of a documentary film "Putin's Palace." In January 2021, Alburov, Pevchikh, and Navalny received the Redkollegiya Journalist Award for this film.[21] The same month, he got arrested for 10 days for calling people to mass protests in support of Alexei Navalny, who was incarcerated upon his return to Russia.[22]

It was reported in May 2021 that several FBK representatives, including Georgy Alburov, Ruslan Shaveddinov, and others, allegedly moved to Georgia to operate a new studio of the "Navalny LIVE" YouTube channel in Tbilisi.[23] Leonid Volkov, a Russian political activist and Navalny's confidante, refuted this information and called it "fake news."[24]

On January 25, 2022, Alburov was included in Rosfinmonitoring's register of terrorists and extremists.[25][26]

In August 2022, Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska filed a lawsuit against Navalny, Pevchikh, and Alburov for an investigation they released about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.[27]

On May 5, 2023, Georgy Alburov and the Anti-Corruption Foundation chair, Maria Pevchikh were added to the Russia's Ministry of Justice list of foreign agents.[28]

References

  1. ^ Dollbaum, Lallouet, Noble 2021.
  2. ^ "Anti-Corruption Foundation employees Yarmysh, Alburov apprehended in Moscow". TASS. January 21, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Антон Баев (December 1, 2015). "Империя Чаек" (in Russian). The New Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Максим Товкайло, Елена Мухаметшина (November 30, 2017). "Медведев назвал обормотами авторов фильма "Он вам не Димон"". Ведомости (in Russian). Vedomosti. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Дмитрий Рункевич, Елена Малай (June 4, 2014). "Соратника Навального призывают идти в армию" (in Russian). iz.ru. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Gafarova, Mukhin 2016.
  7. ^ a b Виктор Фещенко. "Верхом на хайпе: Что под капотом у медиамашины Алексея Навального" (in Russian). secretmag.ru. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Фарида Рустамова (June 22, 2014). "Разгром команды: еще один соратник Навального может стать подследственным" (in Russian). rbc.ru. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Координационный совет оппозиции определится с датой акции протеста" (in Russian). ria.ru. November 24, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Фарида Рустамова (December 15, 2012). ""Народный альянс" принял программу и выбрал руководство" (in Russian). ria.ru. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "Плакатное дело" (in Russian). Media Zona. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Robert Mackey (April 14, 2015). "Anticorruption Activist in Russia Sentenced for Street Art 'Theft'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Соратника Алексея Навального осудили за кражу картины с забора" (in Russian). Kommersant. April 14, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Георгий Албуров попал под амнистию по делу о краже картины "Плохой хороший человек"" (in Russian). The Village. July 6, 2015. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  15. ^ "Метрополитен отсудил у Соболь и Албурова 311 000 рублей за акцию 3 августа" (in Russian). Interfax. February 17, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  16. ^ "Суд взыскал с Соболь и Албурова 311 тыс. рублей в пользу метро из-за акции 3 августа" (in Russian). TASS. February 17, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  17. ^ "Суд взыскал с Соболь и Албурова ещё 311 тысяч рублей за акции 3 августа". Радио Свобода (in Russian). svoboda.org. February 17, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  18. ^ "Соратники Навального предположили, что его отравили в томской гостинице" (in Russian). Interfax. September 17, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  19. ^ Tom Balmforth (September 17, 2020). "Navalny ally says Russian investigation would show Putin responsible for poisoning". Reuters. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  20. ^ Robyn Dixon (October 4, 2020). "Inside Room 239: How Alexei Navalny's aides got crucial poisoning evidence out of Russia". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  21. ^ "Навальный, Певчих и Албуров получили журналистскую премию "Редколлегия" за фильм про "дворец Путина"" (in Russian). tvrain.ru. February 26, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  22. ^ "Сотрудник ФБК Албуров арестован на 10 суток за призывы к участию в акциях 23 января" (in Russian). Kommersant. January 22, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  23. ^ Евгения Кузнецова, Елизавета Ламова (May 7, 2021). "ФБК перевезет студию и часть сотрудников в Грузию" (in Russian). rbc.ru. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  24. ^ "СМИ сообщили о переезде сотрудников ФБК в Грузию. Леонид Волков назвал это фейком" (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta. May 7, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  25. ^ "Росфинмониторинг внес Навального и Соболь в перечень экстремистов" (in Russian). ria.ru. January 25, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  26. ^ Louis Westendarp (January 25, 2022). "Russia adds Alexei Navalny to national 'terrorists and extremists' list". Politico. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  27. ^ "Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska sues jailed opposition leader Alexey Navalny over film about Sergey Lavrov". meduza.io. August 17, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  28. ^ "Anti-Corruption Foundation chief Maria Pevchikh branded foreign agent by Russia". novayagazeta.eu. May 5, 2023. Retrieved August 14, 2023.

Literature

  • Dollbaum, Jan Matti; Lallouet, Morvan; Noble, Ben (2021). Navalny: Putin's Nemesis, Russia's Future?. Oxford University Press. p. 280. ISBN 9781787385757.
  • Gafarova, Anastasiya; Mukhin, Alexey (2016). Навальный. Итоги [Navalny. Results] (in Russian). Moscow: Algoritm. p. 272. ISBN 978-5-906842-08-4.